Journal of Biomedical Optics

Application of low concentration acetic acid solution to various types of human epithelia, in vivo, is a well-established technique for the visual identification of neoplastic and potential precancerous lesions, especially in the cervix. An acetic acid application produces a transient whitening effect associated with the aforementioned lesions (acetowhite effect). In this article, a simple semi-empirical tissue reflectance model is presented, which describes the acetowhite effect in terms of the tissue's optical properties and layered structure. The model successfully describes data available in the literature, explains basic characteristics of the acetowhite effect, and can serve as the basis for the development of more accurate and reliable noninvasive diagnostic methodologies for precancerous epithelial lesions.